Honor or Death
by CalagrianKnight
Summary: Kage, a once proud and esteemed member of the Shadow Warrior clan, has recently failed to protect his primary once again, resulting in another client killed. Now that his failure has put his life on the line, he must go on one last mission that could determine whether or not he lives or dies.
1. Chapter 1-Dishonor

**This is my newest fanfiction series, set in an alternate universe inhabited only by Pokemon. Please read it through and tell me what you think of it at the end! This will be a multi-chapter story, no set amount of chapters as of yet, but I will let you know if I've decided on a limit some time in the hopefully near future. Anyways, I hope you like this story, enjoy!**

The foggy night air felt cold and damp upon the Shadow Warrior's face as he looked down at the clearing below him, watching and waiting atop one of the highest towers in the complex for any potential attackers to come after the one he's vowed to protect, Duchess Selina of Ugana. She was a Gorebyss, and Ugana was the name of the land of which the duchess had a high amount of political power over.

Soon, spotting a couple potential threats to his primary, the Shadow Warrior hid himself in the shadows, jumping down from his high perch to the ground below silently and stealthily. He stood in complete silence, watching the one he believes to be his primary's hunter to make sure if they are trustworthy or not.

"So, you think the duchess in somewhere in this complex?" said one of the two Pokemon being watched by the Shadow Warrior.

"Don't worry," his companion replied. "She'll get what's coming to her soon enough. Just you wait."

Seeing these remarks as a direct threat, the Shadow Warrior swiftly and silently leaps into action, sinking into the shadows. He sought out his first target, hopping from his shadowy cloak before striking his victim with a direct Water Shuriken to the face, the eye more specifically, leaving the Pokemon screaming in pain The victim holds his hand over the new wound, blood seeping through his fingers quickly. The Shadow Warrior, rather than finish off his bleeding adversary, instead kicks him over, grabbing his companion by the neck in the same swift movement as he used to kick over his friend. Out of instinct, he holds a water kunai up to the remaining enemy's neck.

"Talk." the Shadow Warrior ordered sternly. "You said that duchess would get what's coming to her. What is it that you have planned for her? Are you another assassin? I've dealt with assassins before, and I can handle you too, asshole." Scared out of his mind, the victim loses grip on what seems to be a parcel addressed to the duchess. The Shadow Warrior picks it up, curious as to what it was as well as its origin. His eyes going wide as he realizes it's a parcel warning the duchess of an impending attack. Looking to the Pokemon whose eye he'd thrown a Water Shuriken in, the Shadow Warrior drops the companion messenger, grabbing the parcel and rushing towards the conference hall, where the one he swore to protect should be waiting. The messengers still writhing in fear and pain.

Meanwhile, in the conference hall, the duchess and her executives gather in the conference hall, awaiting the arrival of the duke of an allied land.

"Don't worry duchess." one of her executives reassures. "The duke is probably running late is all."

"I do sincerely hope so." said the duchess. Hours had passed prior to this moment as they'd waited for the duke to show up. The duchess was close to falling asleep. Closing her eyes for a mere second, she began to hear scuffling near her. She opened her eyes as she heard the sounds, only to find that her two executives had somehow disappeared without a warning or a trace.

"Malcom? Vernon?" She called out to her executives who didn't bother to harbor a response. The duchess, standing up cautiously, began walking towards the door in an effort to escape. She had a strong feeling in her gut that somehow, something was going horribly wrong, and she wasn't going to stick around to find out what that something was. She reached for the door, grabbing it by the handle and attempting to pull it open. To her surprise, the door was locked from the outside, leaving her trapped like a rat in a cage. The duchess, now stuck in an enclosed room, started to panic, praying to Arceus to protect her. Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind, one of the assailant's arms wrapped around her neck, the other hand covering her mouth so she wouldn't scream and alert anyone nearby.

"I wouldn't struggle if I were you duchess." said the assailant, keeping his identity secret. "After all, your executives did." The intruder tilts her head up so her face is towards the ceiling. What she saw shocked her, pure terror filling her eyes and thoughts. Bodies. The limp lifeless bodies of her ex-executives hung from the conference room ceiling, their clothes and skin coated with their own blood, some of the blood dripping onto the duchess' face. She shivered in fear and wanted to scream, but she wasn't able to due to the murderer covering her mouth.

"Just be still, duchess." the assailant told her as he held his razor sharp claws to her bare neck.

Outside the complex, the Shadow Warrior dashed from building to building trying to find the conference room where he knew his primary to be, hoping that if the parcel he had confiscated was true to its word, that he wasn't too late to save her. Soon enough, he had finally reached the conference hall, silently finding a way to slip into the room undetected. The room was quiet, almost deafening in its silence. Taking a couple looks around the empty space, the Shadow Warrior examines the dark room.

"Duchess Selina? Where are you?" he quietly asks the darkness in hopes that she's still there and can hear his words. As his question is aired, he hears a chuckle from out of nowhere.

"Who's there?" he asks. "Show yourself!"

The voice doesn't respond to his question; it just keeps on laughing. The Shadow Warrior can hear the laughter move, he follows with his ears and eyes until the sound dissipates. The laughter, now gone, had lead his eyes to the limp body of the duchess.

"Duchess Selina!" he exclaimed, rushing to her side. "No no no, I can't lose another primary, I just can't!" He examined the body, finding on her neck a huge gaping slash mark. It was a surprise to him that the duchess wasn't cut completely decapitated due to how deep the wound was. all the Shadow Warrior could think of was how he had failed to protect another client. In his sadness, he picks up the duchess' limp blood-soaked corpse, carrying her outside the complex where other members of the Shadow Warrior clan gathered to meet him, all of them seeing the lifeless body of Duchess Selina in his arms. The Shadow Warrior fell to his knees, looking up, away from the carcass of Duchess Selina. Soon enough, he and the body of the deceased duchess were being brought back to the rest of the Shadow Warrior clan for not only her final send off, but for his sentencing for failure to protect her from harm.

The ceremony was simple, the Shadow Warriors all laying her body on a bed of thorns. Once on the bed of thorns, the duchess' body was then lit ablaze as a way of honoring her death in a literal blaze of glory and to dispose of the body in a way that doesn't leave holes in the earth below. Her protector just sat there, somber in the fact that somehow his suspicious nature led to her demise. If it hadn't been for him, the parcel would have gotten to the duchess, and she would have still been alive. The true killer would have been thwarted if he hadn't been so hasty in accusing the messengers of plotting the duchess' murder. As Duchess Selina's body burned away into ashes, the Shadow Warrior couldn't help but dread his own fate for breaking his vow to defend her life. Hours later, the body and thorns were but mere ashes sat on the ground, and everyone had left except for the lone warrior. His mind racing, filled with questions. Who killed her? Who could have wanted to murder someone so innocent? Why could nobody see it coming? All the questions rushed through his brain in a scattered mess of unanswered inquiries, but only one could come out spoken.

"Why couldn't I protect her?"

A couple of his fellow Shadow Warriors came by to take him to the clan leader for his punishment; he slowly got up, following them without resistance as they led him to the central chamber of their hidden fortress. One of them looked at him.

"Don't be fearful, brother Kage," his fellow clansman assured him. "our clan leader is merciful and should grant you your life."

Kage could only hang his head low, in shame for what he had done, or rather what he had failed to do. Kage then spoke to him in a solemn, near emotionless tone. "That's what you said the last few times, Algar, when my missions came out as failures, miserable failures might I add. My honor has been tainted, and no amount of begging or convincing that anyone could ever do in a thousand lifetimes can change that, my brother. Grandmaster Athos won't be so merciful this time around, I guarantee it."

Melancholy, they arrived in the chamber of Grandmaster Athos, an Alakazam with great power over the mental arts. He looked at Kage the Greninja, as if staring directly into his brain.

"Brother Kage," said Athos in a powerful yet calm voice. "you have failed this clan once again by allowing the Duchess Selina of Ugana to be slain."

Kage nodded in response, fully aware of what his actions have led to. "I understand Grandmaster."

"Athos, Kage's actions were pure. He only meant to protect the duchess," Algar the Bisharp interjected. "so when he spotted two individuals speaking of the duchess, he could only assume they were a threat to Selina and proceeded to take them both down as we have all been trained to do for every threat made to our primaries. Surely you can't punish him for-"

"Silence Algar!" Athos bellowed. "Might I remind you, Algar, that assisting someone who has dishonored themselves makes you just as dishonorable and thus worthy of the same exact fate?" Athos' words quickly silencing Algar, soon turning his attention back to Kage. "Your actions, Kage, have lead to the death of yet another client, and for this dishonor, you should be sentenced to immediate termination." Kage knew that 'immediate termination' meant that he was to be put to death by beheading publically in front of the entire clan, a ceremony only performed on those who are deemed to be the most dishonorable in the clan. Despite his fear of the fate which awaited him, he closed his eyes in acceptance, welcoming whatever punishment Athos ordered upon him. Athos kept staring at Kage, who he could tell had already accepted his fate as a dishonored warrior. The elderly Grandmaster then lifted his head to speak "On the contrary, you have proven over your time in this clan that you are unique and a valuable fighter amongst us, and you would be near impossible to replace if you were to be terminated." Athos stood up, using Psychic to bring his cane to his hand so he would be able to walk without falling over. "This is why I have decided to grant you one final chance to prove yourself worthy to be in this clan."

Shocked Athos' response, the dishonored Shadow Warrior raised his head to look at his Grandmaster. "Are you serious, Grandmaster Athos? Are you truly granting me a pardon?"

"Not a pardon Kage, an opportunity." Athos corrected. "If you are able to serve as one more client's escort from here to the Palace of Ceirife, the palace that lies between the lands of fire and ice, then your honor and title shall be restored to its once former glory, your slate wiped clean of failure. However, if you are to fail this journey such as the last, then without hesitation, you will be stripped of your rank and immediately terminated either on the spot or back here in full view of the clan. Do I make myself clear, Kage?"

Kage, relieved and happy to have been given this one last chance to prove himself, stands up, bowing to his Grandmaster before speaking. "Clear as crystal, sir. I promise I won't let you down." His Grandmaster smiles.

"Your mission starts the morning after tomorrow, Kage." Athos informed the Greninja warrior as he returned to his seat. "I suggest that you spend your remaining day of free time wisely." Kage nodded as he left the chamber without another word, followed closely by Algar. "You see, Kage? I told you he was forgiving." said Algar as they headed to the outside.

Kage, tired and relieved, decided to head immediately to his tent along with Algar for some much needed rest before his final chance in 24 hour's time. Entering the tent, the Shadow Warrior silently laid his head on his pillow, staring blankly up at the top of the tent, still deeply unsettled at Duchess Selina's untimely end, the morbid image of her lifeless bloody corpse still bombarding his every thought. Algar entered their tent soon after Kage, laying himself on his own sleeping mat on the other side of the tent. Both of the weary warriors remained silent, both staring at their empty ceiling for a good half an hour before finally speaking to one another.

"Thank you, Algar," Kage opened. "you know, for standing up for me back there. You didn't need to, but still, thanks."

"No problem, Kage." Algar replied. "After all, what are clan brothers for if they don't stand up for each other?"

Kage smiled, responding with his own statement. "So, my life is basically in limbo right now, right?"

"From what I heard back there, yes."

"That means I should give everything I've got for this, right?"

"As you should with every mission you go on, Kage." Algar explained. "Not a single one of us should take what we have for granted, because none of us are guaranteed the privilege of being a clansman, let alone our lives." Kage, knowing this statement to be true, had always had trouble putting it into action on missions. His neglect of conduct has always been his downfall, which is why he has failed so many missions, including the most recent one ending in Duchess Selina's gruesome death. Algar laid back once more. "I can't always be there to pull your ass out of every fire, Kage. You have to put your primary's life above your own, but at the same time keep them close enough that you can see them. I've noticed you tend to stray away from your primary on missions." Algar added. "It's not good to do that. That's why Duchess Selina-"

"I get it, Algar!" Kage exclaimed. "You don't have to remind me about Selina! I get it; she's dead because of my recklessness and inaction." Kage turned away from Algar. "I'm going to get some sleep now. Goodnight Algar."

"Goodnight, Kage." Algar replied apologetically.

As Kage lay still, he couldn't convince his body to relax, after all, he wanted so desperately to find whoever brutally murdered the duchess of Ugana and bring him to justice for his unspeakable actions.

 **So anyways, that's Chapter 1! Please leave a review, telling what you liked, disliked, loved, despised, or think could be better. That's all for now, see you all in the next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2-Preparation

**Chapter two has finally arrived! Sorry it took me so long, I had other things to do, that and I lost interest in writing for a while. Anyways, I finally got my drive back and finished up what I was working on. I hope you like it. Please tell me what you think of it by reviewing it or otherwise. Enjoy.**

It was morning, the Shadow Warrior clan's campsite brimming with the sounds of fighting and warrior training. Most of the clansmen were scattered, having practice sessions about the rather large camp complex that made up the Shadow Warriors' base of operations. The warrior Kage was no exception. He, along with his friend and fellow Shadow Warrior Algar the Bisharp, were out honing their skills on the camp's training grounds. Kage, despite having recently witnessed the outcome of the vicious and savage butchery of the Duchess Selina, was dodging every attack Algar could throw his way perfectly.

"Wow, seems your skills haven't wavered after all, Kage." said Algar, pleased to see his friend doing well for himself. Algar readied an Iron Head attack, thrusting his head forward at Kage, fully intent on landing a strike on his untouched opponent only to have him sink into the shadows and come up behind him nearly instantaneously. Kage, in the blink of an eye, knocked Algar in the back of the head with a forceful power, immediately Low Sweeping him afterwards. Once toppled over face first in the dust, Algar got pinned by Kage's foot whilst he held a water knife to his sparring partner's neck, thinking that he'd rendered Algar defenseless. "I win." Kage said confidently. "I pinned you and could have easily ended you, so I win." Algar could only smirk at his comrade's assumption that he'd won, this action thoroughly confusing Kage. Suddenly, Kage's foot was grasped as he was swiftly jerked down to the ground, re-pinned by Algar who had his metal arm blade directly against his neck; to Kage's surprise, the blade was not breaching the thin layer of skin that it was in contact with. Kage tried getting out of the pin, but his fighting partner had every one of his limbs stifled, actually leaving him unable to defend himself.

"Rule one, Kage," Algar explained. "never assume you've won just because you use intimidation tactics like that. You may be one of the Shadow Warrior clan's most pristine members, but you've let your fighting skills get in the way of the missions. That's why you kept failing to protect your primaries out in the real world, because you're lost in your fantasy world where brute strength and intimidating foes is enough to suffice for a victory. Your primary is your number one concern out there, so start acting less like a glorified gladiator and more like a true Shadow Warrior." As the Bisharp gets up off of his ally, he lent a hand and helped him to his feet. "I only say this because you're my friend and I don't want you to see you fail tomorrow's mission."

Kage, displeased from hearing his comrade's speech, spoke up about his current situation. "And you think I do? Let me get some things straight for you, Algar the Bisharp. This mission is what will determine whether I fight another day. This mission is what will allow me to come back home here and be accepted among the clan with open arms. This mission is what will serve as my sentence and decide whether I live or die! So I would appreciate you not bringing up all my past failures in front of me like that!" The distraught Greninja turned away from his friend. "I know the primary comes first, and I do what I can to ensure nothing reaches them, but something always catches my attention first, and as a Shadow Warrior sworn to protect people, I am obligated to scout ahead as to what those somethings are, and as I'm out protecting from afar, something else keeps getting to the primary as I have my back turned."

"I know that, Kage, but every time someone tries to win a fight before it starts, innocent people get hurt, or worse in your case." Algar continued. Directly after the sparring had ceased and Kage had been lifted to his feet, both he and Algar heard clapping just a few feet away. They looked over, only to find one of their fellow clansmen who, to this day, has been known for having a bad history with Kage.

"Bravo, brave Kage." he sneered. "Congratulations on your most recent mission. I trust is was a success? Oh wait, you failed didn't you?" The black-skinned Greninja began to walk towards Kage and Algar. "Poor Duchess Selina, dead at the hands of an unknown assassin all thanks to the proud, esteemed warrior Kage."

"You know what, back off!" Algar roared as he quickly stepped in between the two Greninjas, readying his arm blade in case of attack. "We don't need you antagonizing him again, Samael."

The Greninja named Samael simply smirked at Algar's defensive response. "How does it feel, Kage? Knowing that you've failed so badly that the duchess of Ugana is dead, you are on your last life, and you require your only friend in the clan to protect you from someone who hasn't even laid a finger on you." Samael could only laugh at his ill fated compatriot. "You, Kage, are nothing but a disappointment among the clan. The only reason Grandmaster Athos spared your life during last night's sentencing is because he takes pity on you for being a complete and utter mistake on his behalf."

Kage, angered by his words, decided not to retaliate against Samael's words of discouragement close his eyes and calm down, because if he were to lash out, that would make him no better than him. Besides, Algar and Samael were right. He had gotten rusty. He continuously failed his missions and subsequently his entire clan in the process. All Kage could do in response to Samael's harsh words was sigh and walk away. Algar followed him soon afterwards, leaving Samael to snicker smugly.

"You alright Kage?" Algar questioned his friend, deeply worried about his well-being. Kage, not even bothering to harbor a response, just kept walking aimlessly around the camp, trying to clear his crowded mind and calm his restless soul.

Eventually, the two Shadow Warriors sat at a cliffside next to the campsite, looking down at the landscape below. The ground below was littered with snow-covered trees and large snow-covered boulders, a monumental mountain towering above the valley that the cliff resided over. Kage sat down in the long grass at the edge of the cliffside to meditate and reflect on his mistakes within the last twenty-four hours. So many thoughts flooded his mind as he meditated on the mellow cliff's edge.

"Algar?" Kage asked his fellow Shadow Warrior clansman.

"Yeah, Kage?" He responded.

"Athos said that tomorrow's mission was an escort mission to the Palace of Ceirife."

"That's what I heard him say, yes."

"Tell me, isn't that basically halfway across the world?"

"Yeah, at least according to the records I remember." Algar paused for a few seconds before continuing his thought. "I mean, we live in the Mystery lands, away from most of the other civilized areas out there in the world. So getting out there into another land besides our own, even with the transport vessel you were assigned, would still take a hell of a long time. But as long as you have the transportation, it shouldn't take nearly as long as it would on foot.

"I see." Kage said in response, still thinking about the past day. Another pause ensued.

"I don't want to die, Algar." Kage said somberly to his friend. "The killer is out there still. I know I'm not supposed to stray from my mission, but I still want to know who did that to Selina."

Algar could only sigh in response to his fellow clansman. "I know you want justice for the duchess' death, and I know there's no way I can stop you from going after the killer, so I'll just say that you shouldn't make that your first priority. The mission comes first, every time. No exceptions."

"And if somehow my mission and Selina's murderer coincide?"

The Bisharp had no response to this other than shrugging unknowingly. "I guess if that happens, Kage, then go crazy, but I can't tell you what or what not to do." Soon, after a final long bout of silence, Algar the Bisharp left his friend's side, trusting that he could handle that which was troubling his already turbulent mind. Kage stayed meditating like that for most of the day, just relaxing his mind and body at the gentle and peaceful cliff-side.

Meanwhile, across the world in the Fire lands, a black cloaked figure slowly approached the city of Pyora alone on foot. The city guards looked upon the traveler, not even an inkling of surprise in them as to why he was coming into the town. Opening the gates for the mysterious traveler to enter, the guards watch as the cloaked Pokemon silently strolls inside, neither knowing nor caring about the Pokemon's true intentions for wanting to go inside the city. As the mysterious Pokemon walked through the city, common townsfolk stopped and stared at him, feeling a strange and ominous essence surrounding him despite not knowing who he was or what he has done. The Pokemon in the dark cloak walked straight through the city until he reached the central palace, to which the guards yet again weren't surprised to see. They let him in as he continued on towards the King's royal chamber, all the guards paying the mysterious figure no mind as he passed by them all without a sound, barely even a footstep. Soon, the king's chamber was opened for the black cloaked Pokemon's arrival, the King of Pyora resting on his throne.

The king smiled as the hauntingly sinister guest continued to step towards him, the mystery Pokemon soon stopping at the foot of the Pyoran king's throne. The fire king sat proud and powerful, but this was to be expected from a Pokemon such as him. The cloaked Pokemon, rather than issue a violent attack against the royal leader before him as some of the townsfolk thought he might, instead knelt at the king's feet as a show of respect.

"King Vulcan." the Pokemon in the cloak opened up with.

"Rise, Than of the Rogue clans." Vulcan said in a loud bellowing voice, his words echoing through the chamber. Than did as he was told, the fiery king standing as well.

"May I inquire as to why the illustrious King Vulcan of Pyora has requested my humble presence? Than asked.

"Don't try flattery, rogue. It doesn't suit you well." The king calmly warned. "Besides, it won't get you very far anyway."

"My apologies." said Than. "I don't usually get summoned by those of noble stature. Mostly my contacts come from...darker sources." The cloaked Pokemon smirked devilishly, attempting to hide his perennially blood-stained claws.

"You have a reputation, Than of the Rogue clans," Vulcan progressed. "One of which would could get you into some serious trouble with other clans." This statement did not seem to faze Than in the slightest, showing no guilt for his actions. "So, are the rumors true? Does your reputation ring true?" Than smirked and looked down, more than willing to answer the King's question.

"I cannot hide anything from you, great fire king." Than said with an undertone of hostility. "I have been known for many things. In fact, I have only recently returned from an important date with a certain...royal figure." Than smirked evilly at his own nefarious statement, one of his black claws still somewhat fresh with the blood of his most recent victim. "Her neck was as soft as tissue paper compared to my claws."

Suddenly, rather than turning on the dark cloaked Pokemon and arresting him, King Vulcan smirks and clasps his hands together. "Just as I thought." the fire king complacently leaned back in his throne. "I have a task for you, Than of the Rogue clans." Than gazed up at Vulcan as he continued to listen to what the king had to say, an evil smirk pasted upon his face.

Back at the campsite, late at night, Kage remained awake, training his skills late at night so he could be well prepared for his fateful mission.

"Remember Kage," Kage told himself as he practiced his skills on one of the camp's training dummies. "The primary is the mission. Losing the primary means losing the mission, and losing this mission means losing my life. I can't let that happen. By any means, I can't let that happen." Soon as he successfully destroyed the dummy, he stood there, staring upon the wreckage that was once his target. Kage felt proud of his power and his ability to knock out the dummy easily, but then, whilst staring at the broken wooden dummy, he began to get sudden flashbacks to Duchess Selina's corpse laying on the ground in the dark conference room. The images struck his mind roughly, causing him to fall to his knees cringing in mental pain.

"Selina." Kage said to himself, believing that the deceased duchess could hear his words. "I couldn't protect you. What if I can't protect this one?" Kage hung his head as he sat on his knees upon the barren training grounds, thinking about how he's going to succeed in his final mission after failing so many in the past.

As if out of nowhere, Kage's mind took him back to his very first mission as part of the Shadow Warrior clan, his first successful outing.

He was only a teenager and had already been training for several years prior to his mission. For his first mission he was tasked with having to protect the previous Duchess of Ugana and mother to Selina, Duchess Ren, from Prince Perun of Bolaran, the Thunder clan. The prince at the time, being an Electabuzz back then, had the malicious intent to kill the duchess and take over Ugana, and the Shadow Warrior clan was called to action. Kage, still being young and inexperienced, was up to the challenge and, through quick timing and fierce fighting skills, managed to take down the prince and his armada, beating Perun within an inch of his life. The entire Shadow Warrior clan praised Kage for his success and allowed him early entry into their ranks. The recollection of this memory brought back Kage's positive emotions, lifting his spirits greatly.

"I can't give up," Kage said to himself. "My entire life as well as my honor as a Shadow Warrior depend on me to succeed in this mission." Kage smiled as he returned to his tent, only to find that Algar had already gone to sleep. Kage, trying to be respectful towards his bunk mate, silently makes his way to his side of the tent and lays down, his mind still racing about the past two days' events.

"Tomorrow's the day, Kage," said the exhausted Shadow Warrior quietly. "I can't fail. I won't fail. This is my last chance, and I refuse to die a failure." Kage smiled cheerfully as his eyelids grew heavy, slowly drifting off to sleep to rest in preparation for the day ahead.

 **So that about does that. Personally, I had more fun making the previous chapter, but that's my opinion. Tell me what you think in a review! Thank you for reading this chapter and I will (hopefully) see you in chapter three!**


	3. Chapter 3-Departure

**At long last, here is chapter three of my Pokemon series, Honor or Death. I apologize for taking so long to upload it, I assure you that it is well worth the wait. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter and stick around for future chapters down the road. Enjoy.**

As the new day dawned over the horizon, Kage stood at the edge of the cliffside at the edge of the Shadow Warrior Clan's campgrounds. He stared blankly out to the ocean, golden sunlight shining brightly upon his face as he contemplated the day to come. The Shadow Warrior looked down at the oceanic transport vessel tasked with taking him to his next, potentially last client. Soon, Kage's friend, Algar the Bisharp, calmly and silently walked up behind him.

"So today's the day, huh?" Algar asked solemnly.

"Yeah," Kage answered with a calm demeanor. It was painfully obvious that Kage was afraid out of his mind.

"Are you alright, Kage?" Algar curiously inquired. Kage, not averting his gaze from the ocean for even a second, sighed quietly.

"I don't want to die, Algar," the dishonored Shadow Warrior calmly stated, fear lacing his every word. "I don't want to fail my entire clan by letting another client get killed on my watch."

"And you won't fail," the Bisharp added. "You are one of the most skilled fighters I've ever trained with, and while your skills have somewhat faded over our years together as clan members, I can still proudly proclaim that you are more than able to succeed in this mission."

"But what if I-"

"-No buts, okay?" Algar sternly interjected, turning his friend around so that their eyes meet, a stern look upon his face. "You were chosen to be in this clan for a reason, so are you going to just let all of those years of being a Shadow Warrior go to waste? No. Now you are going to get through this mission successfully and without error. You will get your client to wherever they need to go and protect him or her the entire way. It's a Shadow Warrior's duty to-"

"Alright, I get it," Kage interrupted. "You don't need to give me one of those 'Shadow Warrior's duty' speeches again." Kage smiled a friendly smile, placing a single hand on Algar's shoulder. "No matter what happens, Algar, you'll always be a brother to me."

Algar could only muster up a smile at his partner in arms' statement, placing his own hand on Kage's shoulder as a sign of respect for his fellow warrior, fighter, and brother. "Go, Kage," Algar implored. "Your ride is waiting for you."

Kage nodded, separating his hand from Algar's shoulder and quickly heading down the cliff. He quickly dashed down the stairs carved from the face of the cliff and met with Athos and a few other warriors that were there to accompany Kage on his way to meet with his primary. Kage soon was face to face with his clan leader, Athos.

"I see you haven't backed out of the mission," Athos stated.

"Why would I when my honor and my life are on the line?" Kage swiftly answered. The elderly grandmaster, hearing his words, smiles ever so slightly at his follower's response.

Without a word, Athos bid Kage to follow him aboard their marine vessel so that they may travel to the distant continent across the vast ocean to their destination. Kage followed his grandmaster, only stopping to take a quick glance back at the Shadow Warrior campsite. The sight of his one and only home made Kage crack a small smile as he silently vowed to himself to return to the clan, honor fully restored. Soon, the indignified Shadow Warrior turned back towards the boat, boarding it silently with newfound confidence in his own abilities. Once Kage got aboard the oceanic vessel, it was only mere minutes before the ship raised its anchor and set off for the other continent. As it took off, Algar, still stood atop the cliff, smiles somberly as he watches his friend sail off to what could be his final journey.

Hours upon hours passed by, and Kage stood on the deck of the ship, staring out at the gently rippling ocean and the brilliant moonlight that shone, sparkled, and glimmered on the peaceful ocean waters below him. Sleepless yet again, the Shadow Warrior thought long and hard about his destination and what he was assigned to do. Despite his burst of self confidence back at the campsite, Kage still had more than a shred of doubt, doubt of his own skill that would most likely end up hindering his ability to complete the mission at hand. Silent he remained, still and unwavered by the steady rocking of the ship from the waves' soft caress. Minutes later, Grandmaster Athos arose from the sleeping quarters below the deck, accompanied by two Shadow Warrior bodyguards assigned to him. Athos joined Kage at the edge of the deck without a word. He looked over to Kage.

"Something bothers you, Brother Kage," Athos proclaimed in his usual powerful yet calm voice.

"Not really, grandmaster," Kage explained. "My mind is just racing with questions. Who is my primary? Why does he or she need to get to the Palace of Ceirife in the first place? Why was I specifically chosen for this mission? If I do fail, then what would that mean for the rest of the world after my termination?" Many more questions flooded Kage's mind, each one flashing through his mind like fireworks, vivid for a moment, but faded not long afterwards.

"Hmm," Athos groaned in contemplation. "So you are confused. Well, I can tell you with certainty that this mission will not be an easy task. From where we are landing our ship, the Palace of Ceirife is quite the distance away. The only reason we cannot transport your client there in our vessel is because the palace is landlocked. We would use one of our aerial balloons, but the Pyorans, who are located directly to the west of the palace, forbid any and all foreign air travel in and around their lands, leaving our only available option to travel by land."

"Alright, grandmaster," Kage continued. "then could you please explain to me why exactly I have to take the client alone and not with, oh I don't know, a squadron of Shadow Warriors to help protect him or her better?"

"A large group of intensively trained warriors would better protect the client, yes," Athos agreed. "but, the group would also be easier to spot by anyone who tries to take their primary's life. That is precisely why only one warrior was selected."

"Yeah, but why me?" Kage asked. "Why choose the one warrior who has failed every consecutive mission throughout the past year at the least? What makes me so qualified to do this, grandmaster?"

"All in due time, my brother," Athos claimed. "For now, get some rest. Relax your weary mind and your soul should follow suit." Athos smiled lightly, turning back towards the stairway to the sleeping quarters. His two bodyguards remained up top to speak with Kage.

"Hey Kage," one of the warriors called out, his tone more than condescending. "so how exactly did you fail in your last mission anyways?"

"Yeah," the other one continued on. "and how did she get that gaping hole in her neck anyhow?"

"I don't know exactly what happened," Kage somberly replied. "I was busy interrogating someone I thought was an assassin, and while I was distracted, the real assassin snuck in and-" Kage cut his sentence short, feeling choked up from the image of Duchess Selina's lifeless bloody corpse laying sprawled out on the conference hall floor.

"And what? Did they do anything else to her?" The first warrior curiously questioned. "Anything more indecent?" Kage heard this, clenching his fist as the words reached his ears.

"Anything a bit more juicy, if you know what we're talking about?" The second warrior added, chuckling lightly at his unwarranted blight against the former duchess.

"If I were you, I would be more careful about what you say about Selina, brother. Have some respect for the dead," Kage bitterly responded.

"Relax, we were only trying to see if there were any details left out," the first one poorly explains. "So, when her head was nearly taken off, did you see any skin below the neck?"

"Yeah, did her clothing slip at all?" The second guard teasingly asked. To this, Kage slammed his fist down onto the safety rail, nearly bending the metal bar with the sheer force of the impact.

"I'm warning you, brothers," Kage sternly exclaimed in a loud yet controlled voice. "stop talking about the duchess like that. She was never, nor would she have ever been, anything less than a respectful wholesome woman, and she most certainly would not have taken kindly to any remarks of the sort that you are making at her expense."

"Oh no, am I getting on your nerves, Brother Kage?" The first one patronizingly snarked. "It's not my fault that Duchess Selina was under the protection of an incompetent like you. I bet she would have been much happier being protected by anyone else, especially someone who could have 'treated her right,' if you know what I'm saying." As the guards continuously degraded the deceased duchess' name, Kage grew more and more irate, nearly to the point of snapping. Trying not to assault his own clan brothers brutally, the sullen Shadow Warrior took a deep breath to avoid going insane.

"You know, I bet Selina was pretty kinky in secret," one of the disrespectful warriors blurts out. "I'd bet she would have liked it deep." A sneer formed on his face as he said this, infuriating Kage. With little hesitation, Kage tossed multiple razor sharp shurikens of water at the verbal offender's midsection, each hitting him hard enough to knock him back violently against the closest wall.

"Gah!" The guard cried out as his back slammed roughly into the wall, causing him to lose his footing and fall to the ground. Before he could retaliate, Kage rushed at his Shadow Warrior brother and held a water knife close to his neck.

"Speak ill of Selina again, you low life, and I swear to Arceus that this knife will cut that tongue of yours right out of your mouth." Kage threatened. The warrior Kage had pinned, scared out of his mind, held his profusely bleeding shuriken wounds tightly with his arm, pressurizing the cuts as hard as he can to avoid dying from blood loss. "Well, do you understand, brother?" Kage asked viciously. The injured guard looked up at Kage's rage filled face as the remaining Shadow Warrior snuck up behind Kage to attack him by surprise. Unfortunately for the guard, he was incapacitated by an invisible force that held him by the neck and lifted him up into the air. Kage heard the guard choking and turned around to see the source of the noise. He fully turned his head to see that the guard was being choked by a Psychic attack from Grandmaster Athos.

"I warned you guards not to provoke Kage in any way before our journey, did I not?" Athos sternly warned, holding the guard's neck tightly. All the guard could do was nod slightly as the elderly grandmaster released him from his powerful psychic grip. Scared, the uninjured guard frantically scurried down the stairs to his sleeping quarters. As the frightened Shadow Warrior left, Grandmaster Athos picked up the injured one.

"As a newly inducted member of our clan, you should have known not to interfere with an elite member, no matter how many times he or she may have failed in their missions," Athos explained as he brought the guard to his feet, letting him limp off back to the sleeping quarters. Kage, meanwhile, remained slumped over the guardrail of the ship. Athos, cane in hand, walked over to the defamed Shadow Warrior at the edge of the ship. "You are still confused, Brother Kage."

"Yeah, but I'll get over it," Kage replied. "I always do. If I didn't, I probably wouldn't have made it this far. Know what I mean, grandmaster?"

"Yes, I know what you mean," Athos responded. "but you still need to learn that your past does not define who you are."

"With all due respect, Grandmaster Athos, I've been aware of that ever since my first failed mission," Kage stated. "What I need right now is answers as to why I was chosen. I know you said that I'd get the answers in due time, but my mind won't be at ease until I know for sure why I was picked out of all the Shadow Warriors in our clan. It could have been anyone. Algar, Samael, even you yourself could have done it despite your old age seeing as you're the most powerful one of us."

"Not true, Brother Kage," Athos claimed. "Yes, I am powerful, but at my age, a journey as great as this would be too much of a strain on my body. You on the other hand are far younger and have proven yourself to be the most agile and physically capable of all the warriors I have ever seen throughout my years as grandmaster over our clan."

"I guess I should thank you for the compliment," Kage stated. "but I still don't feel like I'm worthy of this mission." Kage stood up from his slumped position on the guardrail and faced his elder. "If this mission is as important as you say it is, then why should I, a dishonorable failure of a Shadow Warrior, be allowed to undertake a task this great? You yourself said that Selina's death should have ended up with my immediate termination, and now here you are trying to defend my very existence." Kage, in his confusion, fell down to one knee and stared down at the floor below him, his eyes wide open and his breath bated. "I failed, Grandmaster Athos," Kage uttered, weak and vulnerable on the floor of the boat. "I allowed Selina and many others before her to die. It's my fault. It's the truth. I can't deny it, and I can't hide from it." Athos walked over to the distraught Shadow Warrior and knelt down by his side.

"Calm yourself, Brother Kage," Athos began, "While it is true that your inaction led to the deaths of many clients, your intentions were pure. You were distracted by everything you thought could have been a threat to your clients. You tried, which is more than I can say for some of the other warriors in our clan." Athos soon stood back up, using his cane to support himself as he walked back towards the sleeping quarters. "Think long and hard about my words, Kage. They may aid you in the midst of battle someday." Athos looked back. "I urge you once more to get some rest. You will need your strength when we arrive at our destination in the morning." With that final message, Athos returned below the deck to get his rest. Left alone once again, Kage sighed and made his own way to the sleeping not too long after Athos. Kage entered his assigned room and laid on the small bed provided for him. As he attempted to drift off to sleep, his mind remained abuzz with his worries and concerns. Eventually, all the frantic thoughts were quelled and Kage was able to fall asleep with only one thing on his mind to soothe his thoughts through the dark of night.

"Selina."

 **So that was Chapter 3 of Honor or Death. Please leave a review if you would be so kind as well as follow and favorite the story if you liked it and wish to read more in the future.**


	4. Chapter 4-Arrival

**Finally, Chapter Four of Honor or Death has arrived. It's been a couple months since the last chapter was posted on the site, so I apologize for the wait for anyone that follows the story. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you want, you can follow and/or favorite this story. Alright, enough of my rambling, onto the chapter. Enjoy.**

Morning. The dawn of a new day and a brighter future. In Kage's case, mornings were a reminder that the end had not yet reared its ugly head. This morning in particular had a different meaning to Kage as the sun peered through the window onto his face. This morning meant life or death. It was his one final chance to redeem his name and restore any honor he had left, if any. Kage got up from his bed, a stern yet solemn expression pasted on his face as he exited the room and made his way to the deck of the ship. As he emerged from below, the golden sunlight greeted his face much like the morning before, shining directly into his eyes. Kage shielded his eyes from the light as he walked to the front of the ship, meeting with Athos who, much like him, woke up early. Without a word, Kage walked over and stood next to his grandmaster, staring out in front of him to see the continent's coastline in view.

"It won't be far now," Athos stated as he too gazed at the coastline in the distance. "We should dock within the next few hours."

"Good. The sooner we get there, the sooner I can find out what I need to do," Kage states without averting his gaze. There Kage stood, silent and unmoving as his eyes remained fixated on the coastline. The more he gazed at the vibrantly lit coastline, the more Kage's mind grew abuzz with thoughts: thoughts of his clan, thoughts of his fears, thoughts of his future, and thoughts of whether or not he would even have a future in the first place. To Kage, the future was like an unwritten book. It would always be a blank slate that could go anywhere in any direction, but there was always the chance that it wouldn't get finished in the end. For Kage, the latter seemed to be the most fitting direction. For what seemed like mere minutes of staring was, in reality, hours of nothing but staring out across the sea at the continent's shoreline. Before he knew it, they had already dropped the anchor and docked at the harbor. Despite having landed at their destination, Kage remained still at the front of the ship. Athos walked back to where Kage was standing in order to bid him to follow him off the vessel.

"Kage, we have arrived," said Athos in a deep monotone. Kage looked over to Athos calmly.

"Alright," Kage replied. "Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind still, but I'm feeling better than I was last night." Kage smiled a small yet warm smile as he allowed Athos to lead him off the ship and to the docks. Once off of the ship, Kage took a look around the place, getting a feel for the environment as he usually does when on a mission. The docks were familiar to him; the town they had shown up to happened to be one where Kage was given many missions in the past, so he found it a great relief that he was somewhere he had explored before. Soon, Athos lead Kage and one of the bodyguards into town to find and meet up with their client, Kage's primary.

"Our client said to meet us in the old open market street. There we are to receive the answers you were seeking, brother Kage," Athos explained. Kage remained silent as they made their way to the abandoned market street. The booths and kiosks were all vacant and run down. It was as if nobody had been there for years, which was exactly the case. Kage could still see the property damages from battles that took place in the market square, the same battles that led to the market getting abandoned in the first place. There were ripped tents, charred boards, and crumbled kiosks scattered about everywhere along the street.

"It's too bad this place was torn to shreds. I would have loved to go shopping here," Athos' bodyguard proclaimed.

"I am sure that a lot of people think the same way," Athos replied.

"Why go shopping here for new things when you can be content with what the camp back home has to offer?" Kage asked.

"Even you, Kage, must realize that not everything in the clan's campsite is self sustained," Athos explained. "While it is true that our sources of food and water are sufficient enough for the entire clan, it is also true that we do receive some imports from outside the clan. The bedding you use in your tent came directly from this very market space when it was still active back in its heyday."

"I didn't know that," Kage stated with intrigue. "but that doesn't matter right now. Let's just find the client so I can get my mission started."

"Very well," Athos responded with a slight sigh as they continue their search. After a few more minutes of walking, they spot a figure in the middle of the street dressed in a bright white cloak with light blue ridges around the bottom, sleeves, and hood of it. At the sight of the mysterious person, Athos cracked a small smile.

"Is that the client, grandmaster Athos?" Kage asked. Athos nodded and walked up to the cloaked figure. As they approached, the cloaked figure turned itself around, revealing it to be a young adult Froslass. Athos gave a half smile as the Froslass turned her head.

"Greetings, Shadow Warriors," the Froslass addressed, looking over to Kage who was standing at attention, stiff and still. "Is this the protector you've assigned to me?"

"Yes, it is," Grandmaster Athos replied. "Brother Kage, this is your primary."

"Princess Yukiko. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," the Froslass added, giving a slight polite curtsy.

"Wait, my primary is a princess, and you never bothered to tell me?" Kage asked.

"I assure you, you weren't told because we wanted to keep my identity and location a secret from any potential spies that could have been on your ship," Yukiko clarified.

"So, I have to protect Miss Yukiko for an undisclosed amount of time whilst we travel by land to a palace on the other side of the continent, all the while I'm going to have to keep a watchful eye twenty-four seven so I can be prepared to fend off any attackers that want to take her life?"

Athos nodded before his response. "Yes, Brother Kage. That is precisely the case."

"And are you're sure that I'm able to complete that mission?" Kage asked, looking for affirmation.

"That has yet to be decided," Athos replied. "You already know the terms of this agreement. If you succeed in your quest, then all failures under your name will be removed from your record. Thus restoring your honor. If you are to fail, which could always be possible, then you are to be retrieved and brought back to our campgrounds for immediate dishonorable termination. Is that clear, Brother Kage?" Without a single word of response, Kage nodded, accepting his fate and whatever it may hold. "Good. You may have a little assistance depending on how formidable Yukiko here is in battle."

"From what I know, Froslasses aren't the most skilled in combat, grandmaster," Kage replied. "so I'm going to do my best to protect her at any cost. Athos smiled and chuckled lightly.

"That's good to hear," Athos stated in response. "I wish you the best of luck, Brother Kage." Soon, Athos placed his hands on Kage's shoulders. "May Arceus shine his great light down upon you to grant you good fortune."

"Thank you, Grandmaster Athos," Kage commented, bowing in respect to his elder. Athos smiled, returning his bow halfway so as not to injure himself in his old age. After the bows, Athos turned his back towards Kage and walked off with his bodyguard back to the ship they had taken to get to the continent in the first place. Once Athos was gone, Kage turned back towards Yukiko, not entirely sure what it is he has to do first in the mission.

"Something troubling you, Shadow Warrior?" Yukiko asked.

"Not really, no," Kage replied. "I'm just unsure of what we're supposed to do at this point in time."

"Well, the best thing right now should be to begin our journey to the Palace of Ceirife," the young Froslass mentioned.

"Oh right," Kage remarked. "That would be best to do, that way we'd be able to cover as much ground as we can before nightfall." Kage looked around in all directions and quickly realized that he had no clue what direction to take to get to their desired destination. "Um, would you happen to know where to go from here to get to the palace, Miss Yukiko?"

"Of course, the Palace of Ceirife is close to the kingdom where I was born," Yukiko answered, pointing towards the nearby mountain range. "The fastest way to get to the palace is through those mountains. There's a large cavern on the face of the closest mountain. Inside, there's a system of intertwining passageways, each of them leading to different parts of the continent. There are a lot of different connecting passageways, so we'll have to be careful as to which path we take so we don't get lost or come out the wrong tunnel."

"Alright, you lead the way since you know where to go," Kage replied, gesturing for her to move forward. Yukiko happily obliged, walking off ahead of him. "Now don't go too far, I have to stay close to keep you safe, remember?"

"Don't worry, Warrior Kage," Yukiko stated. "This old market street is completely abandoned. Nobody is going to do anything dumb like assault me while we're here." Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, Yukiko was grabbed and pulled out of sight in the matter of a second, causing Kage to immediately rush after her. He quickly came into a small clearing where at least half a dozen bandits stood, one of which was holding Yukiko hostage in a headlock and restraining her arms behind her back. Staring down the assailants, Kage growled in anger, suddenly drawing two knives of clear water.

"Well well, it seems the princess has a new bodyguard," one of the attackers snarked.

"This one seems stronger than the others." another one of them added.

"No matter," the goons' leader stated in a rough sounding voice. "He'll fall just as easily as the others have before him."

"Um, excuse me?" Kage responded. "Princess? Others? Do you guys have some sort of ongoing feud with Yukiko or something?"

"You could say that," the leader spoke with a smile. "I'll spare you the details and get on to the part where we kill you." Soon, the leader pointed his finger at Kage's face. "Get him, boys!" the leader ordered. One of the goons rushed towards Kage, Kage simply stopping him in his tracks and kicking him away with enough force to knock him down to the ground in a single blow. Kage smirked, but so did the group's leader. Soon, Kage was surprise attacked from behind by three of the bandits, each one latching onto him and trying to hold Kage down. Kage struggled to get the bandits off his back, and after a few minutes of struggling, Kage managed to toss the three bandits to the ground, freeing his back once again. This process continued again and again until Kage grew tired from the bandits' persistent efforts. Soon, the leader too grows tired of sending his underlings to stifle Kage's rescue attempts.

"Why don't you guys...just give up already?" Kage wondered, out of breath from fighting the henchmen.

"If there's one thing me and my gang here don't do is give up," the leader explains. "That being said, I do grow tired of you. So you know what? We're just going to leave you here. Good luck being a bodyguard with nobody to guard." The leader smirked and ran off into the brush that surrounded the clearing with Yukiko still in his grasp, his henchmen following close behind. Kage, still tired, attempted to run after him and the rest of his gang, unable to keep up with them and their speed. Soon enough, Kage was panicking and thinking to himself what he was going to tell the rest of the warriors, especially Athos who he knew would not enjoy the fact that he had gotten his primary killed within the first few minutes of the mission. With a sudden burst of energy, Kage rushed into the brush to give chase to the bandits. Once he reached the group, he witnessed a sight of which he had never previously seen before in all his years as a Shadow Warrior. He could see the bandits, all either heavily bloodied, bruised, frozen, or combinations of all three scattered about the ground, Yukiko standing in the center of the pile. Kage stepped out from the brush to stand beside Yukiko.

"How did you…?" Kage began.

"What? Did you think that just because I'm a Froslass, and a princess, that I'm automatically weak in physical combat?" Yukiko jested. "Now come on, we have to keep moving if we want to make it to the Palace of Ceirife as soon as we can." Kage nodded and once again followed his primary, Yukiko the Froslass. As they made their way towards the face of the mountainside, Kage looked around warily, keeping an eye out for potential attackers. A heavy silence quickly fell upon the two travelers. To break the lull, Kage decided to speak.

"So, where exactly did you learn to fight like that?" Kage asked.

"That, my dear guardian, happens to be classified information that I do not with to disclose at this time," Yukiko replied.

"Are you sure you can't tell me? I mean we're going to be traveling for a long time," Kage clarified. Yukiko looked down a bit.

"Look, I just don't want to say anything about it is all, okay? Can you respect that?" Yukiko requested.

"I...okay," Kage muttered, continuing to walk with her towards the cavern she had informed him about. Silence fell upon them once again, this time remaining unbroken. As they walked, they had no idea they were being watched from afar by an unknown figure. The figure stared at Yukiko and Kage from the top of a tree far from the two.

"So...Kage is the princess's escort to the Palace of Ceirife?" the shadowy figure said to himself. "How interesting that he would be on another mission in such a short time after his recent failure to protect the duchess of Ugana." The male figure smirked a bit under his tattered hood. "Kage, soon you will learn what it truly means to be dishonored by your clan when I rip Princess Yukiko from you and slay her right in front of you. You'll be sentenced to termination, my client will have the princess's head, and then all will be complete." The figure gave one more smirk before descending the tree, leaving a blood red stain from his claw marks etched into the tree's wood.

 **And so ends another chapter of Honor or Death. I do sincerely hope you liked this one; it was such a pleasure to write. As I said before, you can follow/favorite this story if you want to see more from this story in the future. Please leave a review to tell me what you think of the story as a whole so far. Thank you for reading, and stick around for more chapters.**


	5. Chapter 5-Exploration

**Before anybody asks, yes I was procrastinating with chapter 5. I had no real intention of slacking off so badly with it, but it just ended up going that way when I hit what I felt was a a dead end in writing it. I didn't want it to end up as poorly conceived as the last chapter, so I tried making this one a little better. I hope you enjoy. I'd like to apologize to anyone who was actually following my story and was looking forward to the next installment. If you are actually reading this and have been with this story for a while, then I thank you from the bottom of my heart for actually caring enough to read this story and stick with it for so long. It honestly astounds me that some people are actually enjoying what I've written. I feel like I'm rambling a bit, so I'll just cut to the chase. Here's the new chapter of Honor or Death. Enjoy.**

The forest was dense, so dense that Kage had trouble traversing through the brush without the use of his water knives. To Kage's surprise, Yukiko was managing to slip past the branches and bushes with great ease. "Yukiko, how are you managing to get through the trees like that?" Kage asked.

"Simple, my dear guardian," Yukiko stated in response. "I spend less time simply thinking and analyzing all of my surroundings and just move forward as I please." Making her way past another bunch of tree branches, Yukiko pulled back one of the branches to get by it, releasing her grasp and allowing it to fly back and hit Kage square in the face. Kage scowled a bit, crouching past the branch whilst rubbing his nose from where the branch struck him.

"Do you even know where you're going, Princess?" Kage wondered. "From the looks of things, it seems as if you're just wandering haphazardly through this damn forest."

"Oh I'm sorry," Yukiko began. "Do you happen to know the route to the Palace of Ceirife?"

"Well not really…"

"Then I would advise you to stay quiet and not complain so much," Yukiko retorted. "Maybe if you spent a little less time complaining about the terrain, you could better protect me so you won't fail your mission this time." Yukiko smirked a bit in self satisfaction as she continued exploring, the opposite expression forming on Kage's face, one of resentment and lividity.

After a few more minutes of thick forest traversal, both Kage and Yukiko reached the barren face of a cliff. "It seems we've reached a dead end," Yukiko remarked, grazing her soft hand along the rocky wall, the grey stone of the cliffside smooth to the touch. Kage frowned as he too moves his hand across the even mass of the cliff face.

"Now hold on, princess," Kage commented. "One thing I've learned in my years with the Shadow Warriors is that if there's a cliff, we can find a way around it, and if not, we can find a way to scale it."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea to scale the cliffside?" Yukiko wondered. "The face of this cliff is as flat as parchment."

"Well, then we'll find some way around it," Kage continued to search the face of the cliff, followed closely by Yukiko.

After around half an hour of searching, neither Kage nor Yukiko had found any sort of way around the cliff. Both seemed to be growing tired of their scouring. "So, how long does it usually take for you and your fellow warriors to round a cliff like this, warrior Kage?" Yukiko asked, a hint of snark present in her voice. "This tactic of yours, trying to go around the cliff, seems to be yielding no results."

"Oh I'm sorry, princess. Do you happen to know how large this cliff is, or would you rather go back where we came and waste extra time trying to get to the other side of it?" Kage wondered, turning his head back and continuing along his way.

"No…"

"Then take my advice and shut up. Maybe if you spent a little less time complaining about the time this is taking, you could better cope with it so you don't worry your pretty little head off," Kage smirked, somewhat happy to have given Yukiko a slight taste of her own medicine, but slightly uneasy at her less than pleasant facial response. "Well, anyways, we'll just keep moving, and eventually we'll find where we need to go-"

Kage's statement was cut off at the end as he suddenly, without warning, stumbled and fell through a well disguised hole in the earth about twenty feet deep. Yukiko, still residing at the top of the hole, peered her head over what she believed was the edge and attempted to spot Kage at the bottom, who had landed on his side. Kage pushed himself up from his position with slight struggle, feeling some pain and soreness from the rough landing. Kage, only one eye open from getting dust and dirt in the other one from the landing, stands up and looks around at his surroundings, finding himself in a small tunnel, the only light coming from what little of the hole above was actually exposed. Slightly concerned, Yukiko continued trying to look to see if she can spot Kage in the deep dark hole he fell into.

"Warrior Kage, are you alri-" she was interrupted as the edge of the earthen pit gave way underneath her, causing her too to plummet down into the dark hole in the earth. Falling on her stomach next to Kage, she landed with a thud, "Oof" escaping her lips upon impact with the tunnel floor. Kage immediately made his way to Yukiko's side once she reached the bottom and helped her stand back up.

"Are you alright, Princess?" Kage asked, sincerely concerned for her well being as he offers his hand as support.

"Yes, I do think I'm alright," Yukiko replied as she took her guardian's hand graciously, standing up and brushing some of the soil off from her stomach.

Kage nodded before letting go of Yukiko's hand. "Good, now, any ideas on how to get out of this hole we've ended up in?"

"Isn't it your job to figure those sort of things out, Warrior Kage?"

"Hey, I didn't ask you to help me with those bandits earlier this morning."

"Oh, right, you're welcome for that by the way."

Kage sighed and rolled his eyes in response to Yukiko's snide remark. "Whatever, the point remains that I have no idea how to get up the hole again. From what I can see, which all in all isn't very much mind you, the soil is too loose to get a good grip on. Coupled with the fact that the forest undergrowth is covering the majority of the hole and the fact that there are no hanging vines or roots or anything, that makes the hole basically non scaleable," Kage examined their entry hole once again. "Hm, and from what I'm seeing, it's definitely too tall for one of us to just stand on the other's shoulders to get out."

"Well, couldn't you simply just jump out or something? Isn't that something you're able to do?"

"Technically speaking yes, my Shadow Warrior training has given me the ability to jump that height, but then how would you get out if I just jump out myself, huh? Did you ever think about that, princess?"

"You seem strong enough, maybe you could hold my hand when you jump up and lift me up as you do so," Yukiko suggested, Kage shaking his head in response.

"Unless you want me to rip your arm off with the force of my jump, I wouldn't try that. That and the added weight of another Pokémon might not allow me to jump high enough."

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Yukiko wondered, glaring at Kage as if insulted. Kage simply rolled his eyes and grants Yukiko a glare of his own, one not of insult, but of dissatisfaction.

"Oh don't take it so personally, Princess. I'm just saying that for me to jump high enough to clear the hole requires me to be without anything to weigh me down. No, the best course of action now would be either to think of some alternative way of getting out the way we came that we haven't thought of yet, or…"

"Or what?" Yukiko wondered curiously, a hint of apprehension in her voice as she asked.

"Or…we could try our luck in seeing what's at the other end of this tunnel," Kage replied. Yukiko, taken aback by Kage's idea, turns away from him and gets closer to the back of the tunnel below the entrance above them.

"I do not like that idea, Warrior Kage. Are you sure there is no way for us both to get out of this tunnel from the way we came?" Yukiko asked.

"Without injury, not a chance," Kage replied. "The only way I can think of right now would be to go on through the tunnel and see where it takes us."

"And you're sure that's the best course of action?"

"Look, this tunnel doesn't look natural. I think it was carved out by someone or something else."

"Carved out or not, I still don't like the thought of traversing through a pitch black tunnel underground."

"Would you rather sit here for days and days on end and think of a way to get out through the hole, only to either go back to walking along the cliffside for an unknown amount of time or die from dehydration or starvation before a good idea crosses our minds?" Kage questioned. Yukiko opened her mouth to give a reply, but after some internal deliberation, she opted not to give one, sighing instead as she rejoined Kage's side.

"Well, if you think it's the best course of action in our current predicament, then I will go along with the plan and trust your instincts."

"Glad to hear it," Kage replied, a small, almost unnoticeable smile forming on his face. "Now, do you happen to know some sort of way we can light up the tunnel?"

"Of course," Yukiko answered, closing her eyes temporarily before clasping her hands together. Honing her focus on her core, she breathes in and out before, after a few seconds, her body begins to shine brilliantly, illuminating their dark pit as well as a good portion of the earthen tunnel ahead of them. Kage chuckled silently to himself.

"Good thing you knew how to use Flash, huh?"

"It's not really a big deal. There are plenty of people from my land that are able to use this move," Yukiko explained. Kage nodded in reply.

"Anyways, here, I'll take point this time in case anything tries to jump us while we're down here."

"Alright, that is fair," Yukiko stated before they both took their first steps through the empty tunnel that stood before them.

After the better portion of an hour, both Kage and Yukiko were still walking through the dark tunnel, only able to see their way around from Yukiko's Flash which was still actively illuminating the path they travelled. Kage wiped his brow, his eyes focused on what little of the tunnel the two of them were able to see due to Yukiko's light shining brightly around them. Soon, upon their journey through the dark underpass, the two weary travellers reached a portion of the tunnel they didn't think they'd find.

"Great, a crossroad," Kage muttered to himself discontentedly. Before the duo stood a fork in the road, two different paths splitting from their current one.

"Well, what should we do, Warrior Kage?" Princess Yukiko questioned. Kage looked down one of the darkened pathways to see if he could see anything with the light provided by Yukiko's Flash. Nothing but darkness. Once he was sure there was nothing that could be seen down one of the aphotic corridors, Kage turned his attention to the second one, hoping to be able to see something through the darkness. No such luck. The second darkened passageway was just as empty as the first, causing Yukiko to sigh upon its reveal.

"Let's see, there are two pathways we could take and see where they lead," Kage stated out loud.

"Do you think it would be a good idea to split up and see what each path holds?"

"What? Are you insane?" Kage asked sharply. "I have to keep my eye on you to make sure you stay out of danger, so in what universe would splitting up in this situation be a good idea?"

"Pardon me, Warrior Kage, but I believe I've already proven myself capable of handling attackers and wrongdoers on my own, so I don't think splitting up would be as bad an idea as you seem to make it out to be," Yukiko protested.

"Excuse me, princess," Kage began. "but I see way too many flaws in that plan. Firstly, if one of us does find the way out, or at least something else of importance or interest, then how would we manage to contact the other and let them know of our discovery? We have no way of letting the other in on anything, unless we yell really. really loudly, which is a very bad idea in an underground tunnel system such as this. Secondly, I won't be able to see anything in the tunnel I choose to explore because I wouldn't have your light to illuminate the path. If I were to fall into some sort of giant chasm and fall to my untimely death, I would never know until it was too late to do anything about it. Lastly, and believe me when I say that I think this is the most important point of them all, on the not so far off chance that you encounter a foe that you can't handle alone, say a fire type of which I know you can't fight alone, then you'd be dead. If you die, then the rest of my fellow warriors will be informed. I'll be taken back to the Shadow Warrior encampment where I will then be sentenced to immediate termination, which if you are unaware, means I too will be killed. In that scenario, both of us die and for no good reason either."

"I'd rather go down a singular path together and increase both our chances of survival rather than risk literally everything just on the slim chance that you can handle whatever you find far away from the one warrior assigned to protect you at all costs, and if you still think splitting up to search each of these paths is a good idea, even with all of these points that I have just brought up in mind, then I'm sorry, princess, but you are beyond hopeless in these sorts of situations!" Kage stopped his rant to take a breath and relax for a second. "Sorry if that was too long winded for you, Princess Yukiko, but I hope you can understand my concerns here. Bottom line, we're going together whether you think you'll be safe alone or not, so just pick a path and we'll start walking again."

Yukiko sighed and took a look for herself down both presented paths to see if she can make her decision. Soon, after mere moments of deliberation, the princess wandered slightly towards the passage to the left. Not even a second after she wandered, she turned over to face Kage "Here. Let's travel down this way."

"Are you sure, Yukiko?"

"Of course. You told me to pick a path, and so I have."

"Great, you may want to refresh your light just in case though. We wouldn't want to run into a serious threat and not be able to see it down here in such a narrow space," Kage pointed out. Yukiko did as suggested and put out her current fading light before once again using Flash to illuminate the tunnel, the light more intense than the previous was when she ousted it. Once the new light is shining brightly, the both of them begin their walk down Yukiko's chosen passageway.

Mere minutes passed upon their journey down the path they chose before Kage paused in his tracks, holding an arm out to signal Yukiko to stop as well. "Why did we stop, Warrior Kage? What's wrong?"

"We're not alone down here."

 **And that is it! Chapter 5 of Honor or Death is complete! Thank you once again for reading this chapter, as well as this story in general. I cannot thank you enough, so I hope a simple thank you can suffice for you. Please follow and/or favorite this story if you wish, as well as leave me a review, telling me what you think of this chapter individually or this story as a whole; I think it would be highly beneficial if you gave me some feedback on this so I could maybe make some improvements to help you readers better enjoy each chapter, but I digress. Thank you once again for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and stick around for more chapters of Honor or Death to come.**


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